5 Tips to Prepare Yourself to Be a Successful Entrepreneur

December 17 - Maria Orozova, Co-founder and CCO of MODintelechy

There are tip lists all over the internet on how best to market your business. Be it five 'powerful', 'low-cost' or 'fun' ways to do so, regardless of this saturation of advice, many business owners struggle to make themselves heard. Often, it’s because they’re not mentally prepared for success and, therefore, unprepared to make use of the advice. So, think of these five tips as a prequel to the other lists out there and a means to prepare you to market your business and for the success that follows.

Be Empowered, Not a Victim

Yes, everything does in fact happen to you. It also happens to everyone else. Those who are successful overcome challenges large and small. No matter the circumstance—you don’t have a large enough space, you have limited connections, or you just don’t feel well—put a stop to your victim mentality. Show some grit and be resourceful.

2. Grow a Thick Skin

You have to be willing to hear 'no' and be willing to hear 'no' a lot. When you do, come right back having used that experience to modify, restructure, and rebuild where needed to hear that coveted 'yes.' Thick skin doesn’t just mean being able to take negative comments or circumstances, but to take the negative and transform it into something positive.

Every single day is a rollercoaster of confidence, from feeling like success incarnate after winning a pitch in the morning to feeling like you may need to declare bankruptcy after reviewing your quarterly taxes in the afternoon. Learn to cope, to plan, and face the demands of owning a business head on.

3. Respect YourselfRespect yourself, your worth and the worth of your business. If you don’t, your clients definitely won’t. All of that networking you’re told to do won’t go far if you aren’t demonstrating confidence and setting expectations for how you should be treated. This includes designating boundaries, defining your deal-breakers, and setting deadlines, etc.

4.Raise Your EQ

Emotional intelligence is a refined skill setand being able to accurately read a room is a near superpower. Business isn’t all about hard bargains and bottom lines, it’s about people. They will tell you what they need, so start by listening. Solve their pain points but make them the hero.

5. Keep Both Feet Inside the Ride

What are you going to do if this business doesn’t work? If you’re already looking for the exit, then you’ve already got one foot out the door. This is not advising to be irrational (we’ve all got bills to pay), but instead commit to your own success. That rollercoaster I mentioned earlier? The thrills are worth it.